Lost in the Rain
by Red Butler
Summary: After the Jack the Ripper incident, Grell returns to Shinigami headquarters with William only to disappear without a trace before his final judgment. Can William find him before the red reaper hurts himself in more ways than one?
1. Chapter 1

_This is a Grell x William piece that will be more than one part, I'm probably going for two so yes there will be another chapter. This takes place after the 'Jack the Ripper' incident back in the Shinigami realm. _

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"Jack the Ripper…" Grell winced as he heard the name, looking up uncertainly at the one who had said it, one William T. Spears, tossed a rather thick file of reported violations down on the desk. The file contained every rule Grell had broken, from such minor ones as modifying his scythe without permission to the premature reaping of human souls not on the death list. From the looks of the file and the color coded tabs marked within it, William had already been through it.

"Ah, Will, it was…it was a mistake." Grell attempted to stand his ground but he shrunk a little in his chair as his dark haired superior glared at him. Deciding at that point it was far better to be quiet and let William finish, the shinigami instead chewed nervously on his lower lip. He was a mess, bruises all over his body and he was fairly certain he had broken something—or several somethings. Red hair matted to his face, blood on his clothes and body…he was sitting rigid in the chair facing opposite his superior's desk while he waited for the judgment of his crimes.

"A mistake that cost several women their souls, Grell Sutcliff." William chastised in a dangerously low tone, adjusting his glasses with his hand. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?"

"I know! But those women they—" He froze, halfway into an argument when he saw those cold eyes flick back to him.

"…I'm sorry, William." He muttered, clutching at the fabric of his sleeve and dropping his eyes to the floor. That was really all he could say, he killed those women yes…perhaps it was wrong but they had something he never could...children. And they took that for granted. Even thinking about it made him angry! He clenched his hands tighter as his eyes hardened.

"Sutcliff…" William repeated, eyes flashing as he noticed the look in the redhead's eyes that he was starting to recognize all too well—that look of detachment and anger…an almost crazed look. He couldn't have Grell snapping again, he simply couldn't do as he pleased. The man frowned deeper, opening the file and flipping through the reports he had already read though perhaps a dozen times or more.

"They can have you executed, you realize." William added after a moment, watching the redhead flinch out of the corner of his eye, "This is a crime against the Association; you have broken an ultimate code."

"I can't die yet, William!" Grell jumped up from the chair, instantly regretting it as a sharp pain tore through his ribs and he groaned, sinking back to the floor.

Closing the file with a snap, William turned and moved to the crumpled shinigami with a sigh. "You have to take the punishment for your crimes. There is nothing that can be done about it." Like a child, William thought as he looked at the redhead in front of him; always causing trouble without thought of consequence, giving affection to anyone yet it was nothing more than a passing fancy of his, getting in over his head and almost getting himself killed. He pulled some of that troublesome red hair out of the way, taking out a handkerchief to wipe some of the blood off of the man's face. As he did so Grell's lip trembled slightly, green eyes wavering. The next thing William knew the redhead was clinging tightly to him; in surprise he dropped the handkerchief, eyes widening slightly.

"William…please. Isn't there something you can do?" Grell whispered, head buried against the crook of the man's shoulder, long red hair cascading down his back and over his shoulders. William could feel the warmth of the man against him, the soft hair against his neck and face and the scent of blood mixed with a very faint floral scent. William's usual hardened expression returned, one hand moving to the redhead's shoulder to try and move him away.

"Grell, there is nothing I can do. This is an order from the higher offices." Despite William's attempts, Grell only wrapped his arms tighter, something very akin to a whimper coming from his mouth. William was certain he felt blood on his suit now; perhaps the redhead was more seriously injured than he previously thought.

"Anything William, I'll do anything! Please let me stay." Grell paused, body slightly loosening its hold, "I need you." He added a great deal quieter, and it almost sounded sincere but William didn't believe it for a moment. The man had been all too willing to throw himself at that infernal demon butler only hours ago, fawning over the man and proclaiming his love. The thought made the dark haired shinigami recall his anger again and he gripped tighter, pushing Grell away with a bit more force than he had meant to.

"You would be so willing to say the very same thing to that loathsome demon." His voice came out clipped, golden eyes narrowing further as the thought of that Sebastian came to mind. The shinigami were being made a disgrace and Grell was not helping matters. Still, the harsh tone surprised him and he paused a second to recollect his controlled disposition.

"No, Sutcliff. You will face the consequences." He finally continued. His voice now calm he debated silently before extending his hand to help the man up. Troublesome or not, Grell was injured and he would see to it such injuries were cared for. Frankly he would rather see the man demoted or some lesser sentence served than to see him executed…they were short on agents as it was.

"William, you don't understand…" Grell complained, voice nothing louder than a whisper, body trembling slightly as if chilled. Green eyes flicked up to look at his dark haired boss, wavering slightly from behind the red-rimmed frames. He said nothing else, however, and William simply guided him back to the chair. From that point he moved swiftly out of the room, leaving the redhead alone if only for a few minutes. When he returned it was with bandages and a dampened towel. Silently, he commanded Grell to sit still while he tended to the injuries.

"Remove your shirt. I can see that you're bleeding all over the place." William commanded, noting the bloodstained shirt the redhead wore, the bright red he adored so much staining the white blouse, that bright red even made its way onto William's suit, he noticed with faint dismay.

Grell slowly removed the bright red jacket he had stolen and set it aside with the other articles of his own clothing. Perhaps it was a memento of his dear Madam Red; perhaps that was the one thing he regretted. But humans were all the same, they only did what was convenient for them at the time. Everyone was out for themselves after all.

He cried out, eyes widening as he felt the damp towel against cuts and bruises of his skin. Whimpering, Grell clutched the fabric of his pants and shut his eyes tightly as that pressure—however light, brushed over the sharp pains in his chest. He must have broken something, broken a rib or two…he wouldn't have been surprised after the number of times he felt those sharp blows from that raven-haired demon.

"W-William….be more gentle…" He whined, breath hitched as he felt the movements stop; the warmth of the towel was slowly pulled away and a chill came over the exposed and now wet skin.

"What were you thinking, Sutcliff? Facing a demon, running off on your own? You could have been killed." William growled under his breath, somehow all the more enraged after seeing the extent of the damage done to the redhead's body. Dark bruises across an expanse of white skin, deep cuts in the skin that continued to bleed despite being cleaned. How much blood the man had lost was uncertain, even shinigami had to watch their health. They may have been like gods but their bodies could still be damaged and the last thing William needed was another agent out of commission for any amount of time. Of course that was the reason he was so angry…there was no other explanation.

"But…William saved me." The redhead's words successfully stopped William's motions of tending to the wounds, "Were you worried about me, Will~?" Despite his position, Grell managed a smile. His eyelashes fluttered like some kind of coquette and it appeared he was back to his normal self once again.

The same old, overly flirtatious, extremely disruptive man who had no concept of personal space or what the word 'no' meant had returned. Somehow this should have angered William further, instead—to his great confusion, it actually made him slightly relieved. Something about those lilting words, that bright red hair, those sultry eyes and those deceivingly innocent moments of flirtation brought a sense of familiarity to the office. It should not have been that way. The office was a place of work, and Grell was nothing but a distraction to said work.

"Losing another agent would have been problematic. It would have been detrimental to the order of work being accomplished here. That is all." William answered in a slightly clipped tone, adjusting his glasses with his hand before moving to wrap the gauze around the wounds. He focused upon his work until he saw that sly smile turn into Grell's infamous grin out of the corner of his eyes. William felt his eyebrow twitch, somehow agitated with the redhead's expression as if he knew something.

"Why doesn't William like Sebas-chan~?" Grell asked in a teasing voice using the nickname he had devised for the demon butler as a play on words. The question seemed to come out of nowhere and William looked up at him in surprise.

"He is a demon, Grell. Naturally that makes him a danger to the souls we as reapers are supposed to care for. After what he did to you, how can you possibly still be standing up for him?"

"Oh I'm not standing up for him, Will." Grell replied with a sly smile still in place. He slowly crossed his legs, twirling a strand of bright, red hair around his finger. "But could you blame me if I was? Tall, handsome, such frightfully beautiful eyes…" Grell giggled, the corner of his mouth twitching as he saw his superior's eyes narrow in response to his words.

"I do not want to hear that demon's name mentioned again." William growled, golden eyes glaring at the redhead, "Am I clear?"

"William was jealous~" Grell stated matter-of-factly. Green eyes matched his superior's golden ones and his smile turned up at the corner in a challenging motion as if asking the man to try and deny it. If Grell was good at anything it was observing handsome men and he could read those subtle body language hints like a book. This caught his dark haired boss off guard and William stared at him incredulously.

"Jealous?!" William's voice was less controlled than he had imagined in his head, "Absolutely not, Sutcliff! Do not flatter yourself and put us all in your own world—"

"I was just teasing him, Will." Grell replied, a look of triumph on his features as he realized he was right, whether William would admit it or not. "Did you really think I would give my heart to another so easily and be unfaithful to my William?"

"Humph. You give your heart to whoever is convenient at the moment, Grell. And what is this 'my William' business?" William retorted, however his voice lacked its usual edge. He was still trying to recover from Grell's onslaught of surprising behaviors. And despite himself, he was wondering the validity of what was being said.

"That's so cold, William Spears." Grell complained. He stood as William turned to move away, unexpectedly latching onto him from behind, arms twining around the man's waist. "We've known each other for such a long time, Will. You should know better than that…You mean more to me than you think."

William remained silent, eyes focused in front of him and body tense but he did not pry the redhead off. That warmth against his body, that deceivingly gentle touch, that faint floral scent that the redhead always seemed to have…these sensations kept the man's mind unfocused. He did not think of Grell's words, such complications were going to give him a migraine.

"Put your shirt back on Sutcliff, and return home. You will need your strength for the sentencing tomorrow." William felt the redhead's body tense against his own and then slacken and he could picture all too clearly the uneasy expression on the man's face. With a sigh, William moved to remove the hands from around him, far more gently than before.

"Yes, William." Grell replied in a quieted tone, disappointment clear on his features. William said nothing more, moving to his desk and sitting down he pulled out a file of reports that needed to be filled out. Taking that as his cue, Grell returned the bloody shirt and jacket to his body and left the office. He made it halfway down the hallway, slowing his pace as he stopped near one of the large, glass windows overlooking the grounds below. The central branch offices overlooked the most iconic building in the shinigami realm, the library. The building looked strangely frightening in the dark, Grell realized. It was well into the evening by that point and the sounds of a storm resounded in the distance. Most of the workers had gone home, the hallways were empty.

Slowly, he glanced up noticing one of the window panes was broken. In the dark he stared at his reflection in the pieces of broken glass. A distorted picture, the pieces did not match up. It seemed fitting, really, the way it seemed to mimic what he was feeling. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers against the crack in the glass. So delicate, one push and it would break, it would shatter.

"No…you don't understand at all, William." The redhead murmured quietly to himself, knowing full well no one was around to hear his declaration except the howling wind and the silver rain and his reflection of course…what was left of it. Turning on his heel, the redhead moved swiftly down the hallway and into the pouring rain outside.

It was three hours later that William T. Spears received the call that Grell Sutcliff had not been to the residence halls that evening and that the Red Reaper had disappeared.

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_My first fanfiction! I hope you enjoyed it, please R&R. Oh and the Association is short for the Shinigami Association. Basically when reapers act up or break too many rules they are reaped/executed themselves. This is NOT knowledge from the manga, I made it up._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you all for the awesome reviews! It was a pleasure to read them all; they give me the inspiration to keep writing! ^-^ I also want to thank ScalpelUser for beta reading my stories before I upload them. Look forward to more works in the future!_

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It wasn't supposed to happen like this, someone cannot just disappear especially not a shinigami! William clutched his fists at his sides as he moved swiftly through the halls of the Central branch offices and outside. He cursed under his breath, having no time to secure an umbrella he made a mental note to send his suit to the drycleaners later. It was the season for storms in the shinigami realm, they only lasted a month or so in human time but they were far more ferocious than any storm on Earth. The constant downpour was the last thing on the man's mind however as he made his way to the disciplinary offices, mind set on finding that troublesome redhead.

The secretary behind the main desk looked up in surprise as William entered the office; she was a young thing, nothing more than a paper pusher and quite obviously surprised to see the man. And quite a state William was in as well; suit wet, perfectly styled hair in a very slight disarray…she was staring and only realized it when the man cast sharp eyes to glare at her as a silent warning to simply do her job.

"S-sir, how may I help you?" She shuffled some of the papers in front of her to keep her eyes off of the man until he approached the desk. "The offices are closed now…If you need an appointment made I can—"

"No, I simply need to see Mr. Severson. A reaper has gone missing and I believe, considering he is on schedule to be sent to trial tomorrow, the man would have an eye on him as leader of the Disciplinary Offices." With one hand, William brushed the stray locks of hair back into place and adjusted his glasses, eyes watching the woman critically and waiting. She hesitated, mouth slightly open as if she was at a loss, "That will not be a problem, _will it?_" He added, obviously impatient with the younger agent.

"A-ah no Sir! I'll contact him right away." The secretary squeaked, hand moving to the telephone uncertainly. He was a bit more intimidating than her boss and she hoped this was the right decision.

Pressing the button on the speakerphone she leaned over to speak, "Sir, a Mr.…" Trailing off she looked over at the dark haired man realizing she did not even know his name.

"Spears." William replied curtly.

"A Mr. Spears is here to speak with you. I believe it is urgent." The secretary answered into the phone, nervously waiting until she heard the grunt of a reply on the other end and then she swiftly led William into the office.

X x x x X

Rain has the ability to wash away everything; everything except the past. That night the pouring rain washed away all color in the city and transformed it into a dull and monochromatic grey. It was a cold, unforgiving rain that stung the skin as if it was trying to wash away the people as well, trying to wash away the sin that lay beneath the layers of clothing and skin. Grell stood alone on the street that night. No one would stand the cold, biting wind and the freezing rain. Yet there he stood, a flash of red against the bleak canvas that was the city.

Thunder cracked overhead and a flash of lightning temporarily gave light to the city streets, making the shadows flee and skitter into the dark confines of the alley until the light diminished and once again the blanket of shadow swallowed up all that remained within its clutches. Leaning against the alley wall Grell stood alone, swallowed by the darkness, allowing the rain to sting at his skin and the wind to pierce through his body.

He was soaking wet, dark red hair clung to a pale face and little strands draped over his clothes like streaks of blood. He stood motionless, eyes cast to the ground clouded and staring at nothing in particular…an empty stare, seeing nothing that was passing in front of his eyes.

The wind blew again, ruffling a bright red coat draped around his arms; worthless little thing…soaking wet and coated with a terrible blood stain it was no protection against the elements. But the man didn't seem to care, or feel the treacherous beating against his body…the biting wind and the pelting rain…or maybe feeling was all that he had left.

It wasn't as if he had meant to kill all those women. Ah well, maybe he had…they had something he never could and they were going to throw it away. And red, ah red…that beautiful color that stained the earth eternal and made everything glorious. He had glimpsed it after so many years, it had been after that woman had killed the first prostitute, beautiful crimson red stained the cobblestone streets…dying the whore on the ground and her vicious killer. It was bright, it was beautiful and something had just clicked in the man's mind as he stood in the shadows to watch. Death was such a magnificent thing, so easy to inflict…to end a life, to rewrite history….death was power. Power was one thing he had over those worthless women that threw everything away. It became an addiction, dying the streets red with their blood, working together with that genius woman Madam Red.

She had infected him, they had infected each other. Death was power yes, but he was also on the line between life and death—shinigami or not and when the consequences came to overtake him…well he had not considered losing. That just hadn't been an option! But that butler, ah that beautiful and cruel man that also had the taste for blood…for death…he had changed everything. Then the rules had come crashing down and everything seemed to confine him. Everywhere was a prison; couldn't he just escape it?

William had come to deal out the punishment that needed to be asserted in order for Grell to 'learn his place as a death god' as it was stated by his superior. Why did he need to be punished, who decided who could make the rules and who had to follow? He had simply done what had made sense…even if it only made sense to him. He was ruled by his passion, his emotions. He was covered and overtaken with red. It was his passion it was his desire it was his escape…and yet it was his cage. Driven so by the desire to take what he wanted he had been blinded.

He had been punished all right…his entire body was shaking and sore, and whether he was trembling from the chill of the rain or the lacerations to his body he was not certain. That butler had harmed him a great deal, but the cold seemed to numb him and it made thinking so much easier.

What hurt a thousand times worse than the blows from that raven haired demon was the look in William's eyes when he had found out. He was enraged, furious…eyes narrowed and dangerous. It was those eyes that had done all the damage. They were dangerous they were terrible and they were amazingly…alluring. It wasn't right, and he would never admit it but Grell was entirely drawn to those dangerous eyes…that dark glare. Those were the eyes of someone who was more than angry about a few broken rules…those were jealous eyes.

Grell's lips twitched slightly, forming a small smile. William was jealous, jealous over _him_! Of course the man wouldn't admit it…but Grell knew all too well what his superior had yet to realize. There was some kind of bond there, what it was even the redhead wasn't certain, he couldn't decipher their relationship but it was definitely an unbreakable bond. Perhaps it was just as boss and co-worker, or perhaps as shinigami. But whatever their relationship was, Grell was glad that it was there. He could count on William, the man was tied to him.

"So _this _is where you have been?" Snapping to attention, Grell stared in shock at the very man he had just been thinking about. Oh, that tone in William's voice…he was furious. Those golden eyes watched him as if searching for an answer to such foolishness.

"Will!" Grell managed to speak though his voice was hoarse from the rain and the cold. He was elated that he was correct and that the dark haired man was there once again. He was about to take a step forward when the man continued.

"I hope you have a good reason for this, Sutcliff. Not only was I forced to leave the office for your insubordination, I had to interrupt a senior agent for information on your whereabouts. Anywhere you could have gone, and you chose to sulk in the dark, in the rain against the wall like some kind of scorned child? Considering the dangerous position you're in and how close you are to earning a harsh sentence in trial this was _not _a wise decision." William was tense, voice hardened and eyes glaring while he chastised the redhead in front of him. Honestly! Making him come all the way out here in this weather to search for one trouble making shinigami…

"Return to the residence halls at once, Sutcliff. You will clean yourself up and be ready for trial tomorrow, on time or that sentencing is not the worst punishment you should be fearing." Adjusting his glasses with his hand, William cast the redhead one last look before turning and heading back towards the buildings. However it was when he did not hear anything, neither protests or whines from the other shinigami that he stopped. He had made it no more than a few feet when he turned to look back, seeing Grell in exactly the same place with an expression of sheer panic on his face; Grell Sutcliff, the troublemaking, overly flirtatious man with absolutely no regard for the rules was actually afraid of _something._ Somehow, this made William stop immediately. He looked incredulously at Grell, wondering for a brief moment if perhaps he had been too thoughtless with his words.

"You are to return immediately, do you feel you are capable of heading back?" Golden eyes flickered as he turned and took a step towards the man, uncertain if he had perhaps been too injured to make it back on his own, the man was suffering from quite the extent of severe injuries after all.

But it was when that look of distraught pain on the redhead's face turned into a smile, his lips turned up at the corners and spread across his features that William started to worry. It wasn't a normal smile, it was painful—it was a broken smile and William wanted nothing of it. He couldn't see it like that, it was worse than if the man actually broke down and cried. And then, something unexpected happened. Grell was laughing; it wasn't the kind of freehearted sound that he made when he was truly excited or happy, it was strained and painful. It was the kind of drawn out and pointless laughter that one breaks into when they've lost it.

"Grell…" William started, quirking an eyebrow at the man's behavior. It wasn't as if Grell hadn't had his…moments where his sanity could possibly be doubted. But this was different; he wasn't playing around this time. This wasn't an act, and he had no reason to pretend.

The redhead leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down to his knees, he ran his hands through his hair, moving it from his eyes and clutching it tightly. He dropped his hands to the ground and forced his gaze to focus on the street. His laughter died out and became nothing more than sharp intakes of breath. It was a panicked sound, raking breaths shaking his body every time he inhaled. He clenched his fists against the ground, eyes wavering wildly.

Another sharp intake of breath and the first signs of tears stung in glassy green eyes as he forced every nerve in his body to concentrate…to keep from breaking down entirely.

There was silence then, silence that lasted an eternity and Grell was left shaking, the only sounds being the slow raking of his breath and the hiccups of sobs that he refused to let break through. He wasn't weak he couldn't just cry but he was so lost…and if he could just break down and disappear without having to think about anything anymore…wouldn't that solve everything?

"You know…red is such a beautiful color, William." Grell finally spoke after calming himself enough to do so, but his words were not reassuring to William in the least and the man remained silent, waiting for the redhead to finish.

"Red, _red_…the color of blood. The constant, the un-changing and glorious crimson red. I think it's the only color that can represent love and death equally. Both are meaningful in their own ways. You agree, don't you William?" Slowly, Grell brought his eyes to look upwards toward his superior; eyes peeking through the curtain of vibrant red hair and lidded, he looked as if he was not truly expecting an answer. Perhaps he would have asked the same thing had no one been there.

William frowned, having quite enough of Grell's strange behavior. If he let the man continue like this, who knows what kind of thoughts or ideas would play through his mind. And honestly, he was beginning to worry. Grell had never shown any kind of weakness before. He had problems, they all did but William had never seen the man break down in such a way. Reaching out, he took the redhead by his arm and pulled him gently up and off the ground. Grell stumbled slightly, likely the result of fatigue. He leaned heavily against William, silent for some time before he spoke again.

"You wanted to know why I did it." His voice was barely above a whisper, the sound almost drowned out by the pouring rain. William tensed, uncertain if he wanted to know and yet somehow, some part of him wanted an explanation, anything to give Grell at least partial forgiveness. He waited.

"But you wouldn't understand, William. Not as you are now." Lips twitching and slowly stretching into that infamous, sharp smile of his Grell looked up at the man with eyes unfocused. "It was almost a thrill, dealing those women their punishment. And they deserved to be punished, those terrible, terrible women. But you know, red is the color of judgment too. And when they were painted that beautiful shade—"

"Grell, this isn't normal! You're—"

"Mad? Do you think I'm crazy?" Grell countered as quickly as William had intervened, green eyes locking with the dark haired man's, smile ever present. "If I am, let me help you to see clearly William, so you can understand a fraction of what I'm feeling." Eyes lidded and lips parting, he moved forward to entwine his arms around the man's shoulders.

"Let me drag you with, William. If you're here I don't need anything else." He leaned closer, whispering in the man's ear, voice breathy and body languid. His eyes wavered and his lips parted slightly, hands trembled as they wrapped around one another as he clung to the man.

"Grell…" Much studier hands moved to un-wrap the redhead's arms from around him; it didn't take much strength and for a moment William wondered just how the man was still standing. "Don't be foolish. Someone needs to keep you grounded, I will not be responsible if you decide to take your ideas into your own hands again and create a mess."

"You don't understand, William. And you'll become afraid, you'll…disappear too." Green eyes wavered as he looked up pleadingly at the man, he still seemed to be in a partial dream-like state and likely he wasn't even certain what he was saying. But he was desperate, and there was that hint of fear again.

"I will not disappear. And do not think of yourself so highly, the very last thing you could do is frighten me." William sighed, adjusting his glasses with his free hand. He reached over, one arm slinging around the man to offer support. He didn't need Grell to pass out on the street after all…he was not in the mood to carry anyone.

"W-Will…" Grell's eyes wavered again as he stared uncertainly at the man. He had almost been bracing himself for anger but it never came. Instead the dark haired man looked frustrated, and exhausted. The redhead's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You'll catch a cold staying out in the rain like this. It's too much of a bother to head back to that sorry excuse you call a house. My residence is not too far from here." William gently tugged the man along, his tone of voice making it quite clear he was not giving the redhead a choice in the matter despite the only other option being his staying out in the freezing rain.

"Besides, Sutcliff…if I become ill while I was searching for you I will dock your pay and you can guarantee you will not see that precious scythe of yours again." William muttered under his breath, moving down the street at a pace slow enough to allow the redhead to follow. It really was an idle threat, but he had to keep the man in line somehow even if it seemed Grell could see right through his words sometimes. William ignored the fact the man was leaning against him, clinging to him. Most of all he ignored that knowing smile on his face that read quite clearly Grell was more than satisfied.

William was beginning to wonder just why he went so out of his way to deal with the troublesome redhead. Surely it would be easier to simply have him sent off somewhere else…deported to another region. But no…something in the back of the man's mind made it all too clear that Grell would get into more trouble the further away he was. Like it or not…it seemed William was going to have to keep an eye on the troublemaker. Oh…he felt a headache coming on.

X x x x X

"Will-iam~" Grell's unmistakable lilting voice and chorus of clicking heels rang through the office hallways before he burst not-so-unexpectedly through his boss's door. He never knocked, not like a normal person. In fact William was beginning to wonder if Grell didn't live in his own world with his own rules sometimes.

"Grell, how many times have I told you to knock?" William answered in a rather monotone voice, brow twitching as he refused to look up at the redhead as he flounced into the room. He did not need another reason to heighten his migraine at the moment. Indeed, after the ordeal with the redhead in the rain he had, for the first time in his life, gotten sick. Yes, William T. Spears had been careless enough to allow himself to fall ill, and it was all a certain red reaper's fault. Of course, he refused to let his work fall by the wayside and had been attending the office as always. Grell just happened to be making far more recent visits in his attempts to 'be a good nurse' as the man so put it.

In the end Grell had been demoted two positions, sent to a month's worth of double shifts and enough paperwork for a lifetime. He was alive at least, but that did not stop him from making trouble, especially for William.

"Oh, William dear~ you know we're past all that!" Grell giggled, no better than a giddy schoolgirl, and moved straight up to the chair William was sitting in, "I feel absolutely _awful _you're sick!" Draping his arms around the man Grell seemed oblivious to William's silence and the strained sigh the man gave in response to Grell's words.

"And whose fault do you suppose that is?" William answered, voice little but a mutter as Grell remained clinging to him. He had started to give up constantly prying the man off; Grell would do what he wanted and somehow—William was not sure how he managed it, but he always got away with doing so. The man was going to be the death of him one way or another.

"Oh, but don't worry! I'm going to make up for it." Another, slightly mischievous smile crossed Grell's face. William did not dare ask what the man had in mind. "I'll take _good _care of you, William~!"

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_I hope you enjoyed my first fanfiction for Kuroshitsuji. Keep an eye out for more Grell x William pieces. Thank you so much for the support thus far, I really appreciate it! Also, if you have suggestions you might want to see from this pairing leave an idea I might be up for it! ^-^_


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